The Fool - Rider Verse Part I
by Awatere11
Summary: The Crown Prince is called Jaxon. His constant companion since childhood is Ianto, called The Fool by others. But things are in a state of flux when Jack must return due to his Dad's sudden death to take the mantle of office. What of Ianto's place now that he is pushed aside. And the real question is ... who is pulling strings to remove obstacles in their own power play?
1. Chapter 1

1

His horse stopped to drink from the stream as he looked over the path ahead.

It was a warm day and the path was light, well lit and without company yet he felt unease.

He looked back over his shoulder, his riding cloak shifting as he turned in the saddle to reveal a sword at his hip and after a moment's thought he unbuckled it and slid it into the long bedroll that swung from the saddle.

He was being followed.

That evening as he sat by the campfire he watched the one that had been following him slowly creep into the firelight and he sighed as the man bowed.

"Apologies good sir, I believe my horse's hooves have been sinking into the divots of your own all day" the man said politely and he was forced to politely offer space at the fire, seeing another traveler so late in the dark, it was an ancient rule to share your light as there were things in the dark.

Things he personally knew were out there, not just the childhood creeps.

"Thank you good sir, I had hoped to reach shelter but that steep incline was not on the map and my horse took a stone as we neared the top" the man sighed as he held out his hands to warm then and he watched the man's eyes hungrily take in the meat dripping fat into the flames.

With a soft sigh, he reached out and cut a hunk, placing it with bread in the hands of the man who groaned with delight.

"Thank you good sir, most kind" he said around his mouthful, "I have travelled for near a week and my food is diminished, Gods but this is good."

"I have known the hunger of travel" he finally spoke and the man paused his meal as the deep melodic voice startled him.

"I'm Andy of the Davidsons of Kentington" The blonde man smiled and he saw the youth still hidden beneath the clothes. Not much older than him then.

"Hendry" he replied, giving the name he usually used when travelling as he own true name was too well known in these parts. He had trimmed his usually finger length hair and was clean shaven. He knew he still resembled himself but not in an obvious way.

Andy didn't seem to mind the lack of title, many did not hold those here plus and he was too grateful right now to care.

Next morning the chatterbox talked of many things.

His family, baby sister the most, his parent's small farm and his desire to serve the crowned prince, the shame of rejection when he had presented himself and of others he had met on his quest.

Now he was set to return where he knew his father was waiting to crow at his inadequacies.

He winced as he listened, well aware of the feeling of rejection from the crown prince.

Was this not the reason why he was fleeing as well?

"Where do you travel?" Andy asked and he shrugged, no destination in mind, for where would he ever truly be welcome.

"Might we travel together, for a spell?" Andy's voice was raw with hope, his constant talk a tell that he did not like to be alone.

Loneliness.

He had heard of this, never known it himself as he desire to be left alone is what mostly pushed him these days but …

But he had once been full of hope and desire so he smiled and accented watching the relief flood the pale face of his new companion.

They packed up and rode, the morning spent with Andy filling the empty space with noise, something he did admit to having missed.

His previous travelling companion had been a talker as well, it had been soothing to listen to his wild stories punctuated with laughter and song.

Best not think of him now.

Best swallow that down and keep moving.

My, but shame is a bitter taste in his mouth.

Ahead they saw a small contingent of soldiers approaching and he stifled a curse, knowing it was probably him they sought, looking at Andy and seeing equal discomfort.

"Good morrow" he said calmly, nodding to the soldier whose horse reached them first.

"Good morrow to you to sir" the man grinned back.

"Tis a nice day for a ride, we do not hope for many more of these but are you not in the wrong place to do a spot of hunting" he asked, deciding on stupidity.

"We seek a lone traveler" one of the horsemen told them, "A man with a broad sword and weary mount by now."

He frowned, watching Andy purse his lips and then held his breath as he left Andy answer.

"There was someone, in the night, right?" Andy turned to him with an honest face.

"I … I remember hearing hooves" he said softly, wondering what Andy was up to.

"He was slumped over, more asleep than awake I think" Andy was nodding enthusiastically, "Headed towards the mountain."

"It was only a shadow to me" he decided to join in the lie, "I only saw a silhouette as I was further back from the fire."

"He was huge, the sword was almost the length of his leg, clinking against his stirrup" Andy nodded and shifted in the saddle as if growing bored.

"Towards the mountain you say" the man's face turned from them, his men's heads following as they seemed to ponder.

"Good morrow to you good sirs" he finally nodded, "Blessings and fair thee well."

They moved off as the two men muttered equal platitudes and he slumped back with relief.

"Good thing that sword is bundled on the other side of your mount" Andy whispered as he waved enthusiastically, "Bloody hide it better!"

As they moved off he wondered what the blonde man was running from, so easily willing to save him just to be hidden himself.

Not that it mattered.

Clearly they were both wanted men now.

Ianto wondered why the Crown Prince was acting this way.


	2. Chapter 2

2

"What do you mean!" Ianto demanded as he stared at the smug man.

"The Crown Prince has allocated the payments and this is what you are due" he repeated, poking the small purse of gold on the table between them.

"I still don't understand why I am being let go" he frowned as he stared at the small purse, less than an eighth of what he knew he was owed for one year of his service, if he had even asked for payment that is.

"He has responsibilities now, a new wife to wed and bed" the Queen's Hand huffed, "He had no need for his riders anymore, he personally signed yours!"

"Show me!" Ianto roared with uncommon rage.

The parchment held his Prince's ornate scrawl as he released Ianto from service and wished him all the best.

All the best.

Really?

Ianto scooped up the purse and flew from the room before the Hand could stop him and he raced along the corridor then slammed into the map room where the Crown Prince was leaning over a map as he talked with an advisor.

Another first.

A meeting without him in attendance.

Ianto tossed the small purse onto the map table and stood glowering at his prince.

The Crown Prince straightened up and looked at the purse with confusion, then at his personal assassin.

Not that the outside world knew that.

To the outside world looking in, Ianto was a companion, sometimes even called the 'Future King's Fool' behind fans and goblets.

"So this is it?" Ianto asked calmly, "Of all that we have been … what I thought we were to one another …"

Ianto struggled to calm himself knowing his anger was showing, "You promised me things, things I never asked for and always told you I did not require. All I wanted was a good retirement one day, to sit at your feet like a loyal dog in the twilight."

The Crown Prince finally moved, picking up the purse and staring at it, then his friend. Ianto took his silence as he always did, as cowardice.

"I always knew you lied, I even called you on it enough times to know that any affections were one sided but I thought you at least valued my service." Ianto was now letting go his anger, only sorrow remaining as he stepped back from the table and the life he now saw was not to be.

The parchment fluttered from his fingers onto the table to join the purse as Ianto shook his head with bewilderment.

"Yan" the Crown Prince said softly, letting the purse roll from his finger tips as he started to move around the table but Ianto was not a fool, he was an assassin and he was faster.

Out the door and gone before his prince could hope to reach him, Ianto ran.

He brushed past the Queen's Hand who was still puffing back up the hallway; the fat fuck was so out of condition it was an embarrassment to Her Majesty.

His horse was saddled, ready for the small trip he was scheduled to take on the behalf on the bastard son of a bitch that had just torn his heart out and stomped on it with such ease.

He swung into the saddle and Rhys looked up as he noted the look on the lord's face for the first time.

He had never seen sorrow before.

Anger, hatred, even a rare moment of mirth but never in the years he had tended the royal stables had he seen the Crown Prince's oldest companion show sorrow.

He watched the horse fly from the keep and frowned as he turned to look back at the castle with a growing dread.

Something had happened.

.

.

.

Ianto's mind had been going over that last day like it was stuck on repeat and he shook himself from his fugue as his horse slowed.

Andy was still talking as they neared a waterhole and Ianto let his mount have its head as he loosened the reins to allow it to drink while Andy stopped talking as he let his as well.

"I know who you are" Andy finally said with a sigh, "The sword was the first thing, them looking for you but when your horse leans forward I see the brand on his neck. You need to train his mane to lie across it."

Ianto swore as he looked at the royal seal, the horse had been a gift from his prince and he sighed as he nodded.

"I don't' understand" Andy said quietly, "It is said that you are his shadow. His most treasured companion, why are you running?"

"He turned me away" Ianto said sadly as he admitted the deception, "After all we have been through, since small children I have protected him. Loved him."

The last was spoken with a snort of anger and Ianto shifted in his saddle.

"His father is dead, he must accept the crown. With it comes a queen, a realm and a life that has no place for a plaything like me" Ianto said with a shrug, "He tried to pay me for my love with a token of distain. I may have been a bit vocal in my displeasure at his lack of consideration."

"Oops?" Andy chortled and Ianto found himself laughing as he looked back at his final moments with his Cariad.

"Yeah" he sighed. "It never occurred to me that he would cut me from his life. I was foolish enough to think I might still warm his hearth."

"And bed?" Andy whispered, "Were those whispers true?"

Ianto shrugged, not wanting to speak of his greatest folly, to give his heart to …

An employer?

Although chaste their naked bodies had lain together, their hands exploring and kisses stolen.

For to receive payment for services when your main job was to hold him in the dark …

What did that make him?

Back there in that room, the sound of the gold chinking in the purse had told him what he was to Jack.

Nothing more than a whore.


	3. Chapter 3

3

"How long did you know each other?" Andy asked as he fed the fire that night.

"We were … I don't know. Ten? Eleven the first time we met" Ianto leaned back against the saddle behind him on the ground and crossed his ankles so his feet would warm.

Andy settled and looked at him expectantly and Ianto smiled.

"Well, I was sold by my father when I was about eight for debts he could not pay and I spent my early years in the stables with the animals. I mucked out, fed and watered, groomed and such in return for the roof over my head and a knowledge of creatures" Ianto settled and closed his eyes as he remembered.

"Jack was arguing with another boy and it turned to fists. I didn't know he was the prince and obviously neither did the larger child who knocked him to the ground. All I knew was the pummeling he was about to receive from a boy who had already tried it with me so I waded in to kick the prick in the balls. Hard."

Andy snorted.

"Funny thing was, Rhys turned out to be a good friend in later years" Ianto laughed, "One minute I'm standing there over two felled boys, the next I'm being beaten. They thought I had hit Jack and they were whipping me before he could stop them."

"Jesus" Andy shivered.

"He was repentant, going to his father the King and telling him what had happened. I found myself in a real bed for the first time in my life with the prince himself seeing to my torn back."

"And that was the beginning?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, we were inseparable, well apart from studies" Ianto sighed, "The afternoons we were released from our respective tortures and allowed to be boys. We rode, fished, hunted and on most days we simply swam and played stupid heads."

"When we were old enough to be travelling companions we bunked together, it seemed natural for us to fall into one another" Ianto sighed, "I guess they were right. I really am the Fool."

"But … it its true what they say then there was affection from him as well, didn't he order the imprisonment of a man who besmirched you?" Andy asked.

Ianto laughed at the word, then sighed, "He accused me of betraying the royal family. A job I was sent to do that was misconstrued and Jack could not bring himself to defend me. He simply demanded it not be spoken of again. I pointed out that it might make people believe it but Jack was always stubborn."

"You talk about him with such ease" Andy also noted the soft smile on Ianto's face as he spoke.

"I spent more time with him, than apart" Ianto finally stood, "Need to check the horses."

Andy stared at the fire for a while as he contemplated the strange companion he was with.

He knew Ianto was battling tears as he had fled into the dark and Andy vowed not to ask any more.

A broken heart is a sorry thing to witness.

.

.

.

Ianto shifted in his sleep as a horse nickered softly and he opened his eyes while wondering if he should bank the fire that was slowly dying.

Another soft whinny, then a snort.

Then stomp.

Then a shriek.

Ianto was running, the sword drawn effortlessly from the bundle behind his head as he moved and Andy was still waking as a horse screamed with pain.

Andy followed Ianto into the clearing where the horses were hobbled and swore as he watched the sword swing, the mountain cat screaming as it attacked again, slashing its claws at Ianto as he battled.

Almost the size of the horse it fancied for a late supper, it was sure this mere human would not be any problem but as Ianto fought it became clear that he was not 'mere' anything.

He felt a sting from a claw as a swipe came too close and yelped, dropping to his knees as the paw continued overhead and thrust the sword up, neatly slicing a toe from the beast's foot.

Its scream echoed as it shot off into the dark and Ianto stayed on his knees, panting as he struggled to regain a sense of calm.

His forehead against his clasped hands on the hilt of his sword, he found that place in his soul where all assassins live.

The void.

"By the Great Goddess, are you OK?" Andy asked shakily as he tried to grab the horse's bridles.

"Yeah, just … clipped me" he gasped rising and staggering to his horse to inspect the damage.

"Fuck!" he spluttered as he looked at the damage to his neck where the ragged tear had shaved skin off.

"Well, look on the bright side" Andy quipped, "You don't have to worry about that brand anymore."

Their laughter chased away any other creature of the night as they reveled in the near miss.

Andy scooped up the claw as they led the horses to the camp fire, amazed at the weight of it and he knew it would make a fine necklace for his new friend.

The fire raged high that night.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Ianto groaned softly as he inspected the slice to his arm and sighed as he smelt the sweet infection.

So busy tending to his horse he had overlooked his own discomfort too long and Andy swore softly as he approached though the knee deep water to inspect the arm.

Andy squeezed gently and Ianto cried out, betraying the deepness of the cut and Andy looked at him apologetically as he squeezed more gunk from it.

"Come on" Andy said as he helped him from the water, "We'll rest here for the rest of the day, move out tomorrow"

"But … half a day. We can still …"

"No!" Andy said firmly, "That's what we are doing. You need to rest and that needs tending to, you stubborn man."

Ianto saw determination in the man's face and nodded, going back to the fire to stoke it up from the lunchtime fire into a more substantial camp fire.

As he sat back and watched Andy chase an errant horse he was reminded of the first time he and Jack had gone horse riding.

.

.

.

.

"You know we are too far now" Ianto sighed as Jack twisted in the saddle to look back at him, his flop of hair covering one eye as he grinned.

"Come on Yan, the swimming hole is just ahead, you know we can make it there and have a dip before going back for supper!" Jack whined.

"We were not supposed to leave the grazing paddocks" Ianto scolded, then sighed again as Jack urged his mount forward, laughing as he sped off over a hillock.

"A pillock over a hillock" Ianto muttered as his grin betrayed his affection and he was following.

Jack was already in the water, whooping as he splashed and Ianto calmly retrieved the clothing he had shed as he had run for the water.

"Come on Yan, it feels great" Jack yelled and then clapped as Ianto toed off his boots to join him.

Jack's smile faded as he looked at Ianto's back and remembered the sound of the whip, Ianto so used to the scars that he didn't even think of them anymore and it wasn't until he turned to face Jack that he remembered.

He moved towards him and as teenagers they were evenly matched in height and stature, apart from Jack having slightly wider shoulders.

It felt natural to reach out and stroke his cheek as he softly reminded him that all was forgiven.

"If I wasn't being such a twat, if I had identified myself that would never have happened" Jack said as he pulled Ianto into his arms and they spent a few minutes just reveling in each other' skin against their own.

"One day you will be the king" Ianto said as he pulled back and Jack reached out to touch a small burn on his collarbone.

"You will always be my Yan" Jack replied sullenly, "Even if you seem to be a bit worn lately."

Ianto laughed, his head thrown back in a rare display of delight that Jack loved to see.

They never spoke of Ianto's chosen profession, knowing it was to protect his king one day. Bruises, cuts, broken bones even and now a burn. Ianto had said many times that it was worth the agony to serve and Jack ran his fingers over Ianto's back as he wished away the pains inflicted upon him.

"Hush Cariad" Ianto whispered as he hugged Jack, his own hands soothing.

Things were getting awkward and they both pulled away.

At fifteen they both had feelings and urges they could neither control nor explain as they moved to cover their nervousness with splashing and laughter as if still children, not the young men who desired each other.

They both knew it was only a matter of time, they both hoped it was more than a passing fancy even as they pretended it was nothing at all.

Ianto knew of the rutting beasts and also of the coupling of humans, more than one soldier having dragged a maid or boy into the stalls for a quick coupling as he watched from the rafters with mixed feelings.

Ianto helped Jack onto his horse before effortlessly swinging up onto his own, showing the lean dancer's physique his sparing and constant exercises had created.

The man who one day would be king and the man who one day would be his assassin yelled like banshees as they headed home, the smell of sweet breads wafting out to greet them.

.

.

.

Ianto shifted as he looked at Andy, crouching to slather a poultice on the wound and told himself to let go of such follies.

He was no longer that child, neither was Jack.

No.

High Prince Jaxton and the Assassin were destined to be what they had been that first day they had met.

One in the throne room while the other cowered in the dirt.

Ianto swallowed back the bile as he rose and moved to the water bucket, drinking the sweet water.

It was dawn and the birds had started serenading the sun.

It was time to move on.


	5. Chapter 5

5

The family seemed nice enough but Ianto felt uneasy, letting Andy talk as he explained to the farmer and his family that they were brothers travelling home from the royal city where they had laid tribute on their sickly father's behalf at the tomb of the king.

"Long live the King" they all said sadly, then they accepted the offer of a bed for the night.

They joined the evening meal gratefully, Andy keeping a constant chatter up as Ianto silently helped serve then they settled in the barn's hayloft to sleep.

"You need to stop scowling" Andy whispered from his sleeping roll, "You looked like a Derbol."

"I can't help it" Ianto replied softly, "Something feels off and I've been trained to listen to my feelings."

"Lot of good they've done you so far" Andy muttered then sighed as he heard Ianto's snort of pain. "Sorry."

"Good night" Ianto said flatly, turning his back on his companion as we wondered how long before he was alone again.

"I'm just getting some air" Andy hissed as he stumbled out of the bedding, "Need a piss."

"What's her name again?" Ianto giggled.

"Shhhh" Andy sounded drunk to Ianto's tired ears and he settled again.

Ianto was more tired than he had thought, his limbs growing heavy and he was asleep before it registered that this was wrong too.

.

.

.

.

He woke.

Fuck.

The bindings were tight and he examined them silently, counting how many knots and twists as he wondered how this had happened.

The only explanation was that he had been drugged during the meal.

The family had betrayed them.

Andy.

Ianto opened his eyes and found Andy hanging from a hook similar to his own, drooling as he snored softly.

Ianto tested the hook and looked to the horses, glad to see them still calm and unharmed.

Footsteps had him dropping his chin to his chest as he let himself swing softly.

"Still under" a voice said and Ianto recognized the father, swallowing back his anger at the betrayal.

"The reward is only if he is unharmed" a voice he recognized as the soldier from the other day and Ianto kicked himself for not looking over his shoulder more.

The half day's rest had allowed them time to flank them.

It was a classic mistake.

"What about the other one" the father asked, "He's worth nothing to you."

"Why?" Fancy him yourself?" came a sneer.

"Nice body, I bet he'll wriggle like a greased pig!" a laughing reply that repulsed Ianto and he was glad Andy was unaware of what potentially awaited him.

As a hand touched Ianto, he reacted as he twisted his body and latched his leg around the support of the body, lifting himself off the hook and coming down behind the body with his wrists now throttling the man.

It was all one smooth motion done before either man could react.

He didn't care which one it was and as his eyes sprang open he found it was the father, the soldier thrusting his blade at him and Ianto angled the man so the blade sliced the rope as well as the father's carotid artery and he stepped back as the man convulsed in the straw that formed the floor of the barn.

The soldier stood with a look of horror as Ianto stepped into his personal space, the blade taken from his hand with such grace that he was unaware of his disarming until the blade was sliding between his own ribs.

Ianto looked up and found Andy silently watching his pale face full of horror and Ianto sighed as he removed the blade, letting the soldier fall as he reached up and cut the ropes holding the hooks.

They saddled the horses and moved out, making sure the others in the house did not know their payday was not coming.

Ianto had left a note on the solder for Jack.

It was a simple one, written with haste and few words.

" _ **You should make the reward on my head dead or alive, you might have had better luck."**_

.

.

.

.

Jack stood in the barn with the note in his hand as the soldiers waited anxiously.

"Who put a bounty on his head" he asked flatly.

"You demanded his return" his sergeant said, "We were simply told to him to bring him back alive and we would be rewarded."

"What … what the hell are you talking about!" Jack spluttered angrily, "You honestly think I would want one of my closest, most trusted friends treated like this?"

"Highness …"

"This is madness!" Jack cried as he looked around at the carnage, "I don't understand. Who is conspiring against us, who is driving Ianto way from me!"

"I am sorry your Highness," Rhys said sadly, "There is something fowl afoot here. The girl tells me Ianto is wounded, sickly and seems unnerved."

"Oh Gods" Jack sobbed as he looked at the blood on the floor again and he twisted the cut shank of rope in his hands.

"Why has this happened" Jack whispered as he searched desperately for any sign where Ianto might have gone, "Why does he flee? I don't understand."

Jack wept for his love and the tyranny that was conspiring against them.

If this is what the Throne would cost him, he didn't want it.

All he wanted was to hold Ianto and wake from this nightmare.


	6. Chapter 6

6

They had missed them again, the fire still warm embers and Jack held back to urge to scream.

The remains of bandages were hooked for the ashes and it was confirmed that Ianto was indeed suffering from an infection of some kind.

They had also learnt that the horse bore the wounds of a battle from the family, Jack's mind conspiring against him each time he laid down to sleep as he imagined all the scenarios of the attack and his love's injuries.

He had been horrified when the little purse had landed on the table, then totally bamboozled by the piece of paper as he stared at Ianto's name, not Blane's as originally written.

Nobody would accept responsibility for the doctored document, or explain why the invitations to join him in the map room were never carried to Ianto, but placed in a planter by one of the doors. The parchments wet and soggy in the guard's hand as they were shown to Jack.

He had demanded an investigation and the palace was still in upheaval as Rhys had torn through it with his boots and snarls, searching for meaning where there could be none.

The deceit went further than first thought and Jack found to his dismay that weeks of misinformation and intercepted messages had closed Ianto out, the token purse the last straw.

Not only was Jack angry on Ianto's behalf for the insult, the fact it seemed to come from his own hand was almost too much to bear.

They had been through so much, and he had let it all slip away so easily.

He now saw the times Ianto had discretely reached for him under the table and he had been too busy to understand the signal for a moment of his time.

His father had died so suddenly, astride his horse while hunting boar.

They had left their smaller holding and returned to the Palace for the burial and time had slipped away, as had his beloved.

He was only twenty eight, and now he would be king.

He saw his beloved at his side, always… and now …

Jack felt the chill of loss.

.

.

.

.

Ianto agreed to rest again, the arm now burning as the poultice Andy had applied did it's work and Andy crooned softly as he peeled it way, the badness following as the wound wept an ugly liquid.

"You tore it open saving us" Andy said softly, "That was … I mean …"

"I am not the fool they all see me as" Ianto said as he grimaced, "I am a trained assassin."

"No shit!" Andy snorted with wide eyes that had them both giggling like school girls.

"I was trained from an early age to protect him, to obey and do whatever was necessary to keep him safe." Ianto explained.

"So why would he send you away?" Andy frowned, "It doesn't make sense. If you are his only true protection why leave himself open."

"I saw the parchment and I know his hand as well as my own" Ianto laid back, tired of the conversation, "He did not require me anymore. When I challenged him he did not deny it, just stood there like he didn't understand my dismay."

"Ianto …" Andy seemed hesitant and Ianto waved a hand to show he wasn't annoyed with his talking.

"Did it ever cross your mind that this is not what it seems?" Andy canted his head, "Sometimes when you are in the middle of a storm all you see is chaos, only someone watching from a nearby hill sees the rainbow. You are in the storm, who benefits from the rainbow?"

Ianto stared at him with silent confusion.

"Think about it" Andy moved closer, "With you out of the way, who benefits the most from the gaping hole by his side?"

Ianto had no answer as he stared at his new friend, knowing the words were truth, yet they stung.

By the time they were ready to move out, Ianto had changed his prospective of both his new friend and the journey they were on.

Jack's attitude lately had changed but was he being manipulated as well?

Andy took the lead and Ianto let his mount follow as he drifted in the saddle, trained to sleep on the go as his mind swirled with confusion.

Jack had not lain with him since they had reached the palace, the quarters provided smaller than a maid's and then he was denied access to the royal chambers.

He had thought it Jack's actions but now he wondered.

Ever since the mention of a wife Jack had started acting like this, cutting him out, pulling away.

Was someone whispering in his ear?

Was he being manipulated as well?

This woman had come out of the blue, not known to either man and even the Queen had seemed surprised with her appearance so soon after the good king's demise.

It was fortuitous, that is what she had said as she strode in like she belonged, demanding spaces for her staff which meant Ianto was moved to an even smaller room and he had half-pie wondered if he should just move back to the loft in the stables and be done with.

She must have already been travelling, her arrival so soon.

It didn't make sense.

Who the hell was Lady Gwen Cooper.


	7. Chapter 7

7

Ianto had made a decision, which was evident by the way he was angrily jerking the girth on the saddle as his horse grunted good naturedly.

"I have to go back" he said softly and Andy sighed as he rolled his bedding into a roll and moved to saddle up as well.

"It's in the other direction to your journey's end" Ianto said and Andy shrugged.

"Not like my father will care, I'm the fourth son. Five sisters too, he barely knows my name" Andy smiled, "I don't think I matter in the grand scheme of things."

"I have been the fool after all" Ianto huffed softly, "For I need to learn to find a mountain every now and then."

Andy chortled as he let Ianto lead the way.

Finally.

.

.

.

.

Jack couldn't settle as the clothes too tight and gaudy but he smiled politely as the woman blathered on.

He was watching her more closely, perhaps for the first time as her mouth moved and that gap flashed, rambling about a wedding he didn't want.

His siblings had begged off, Rose claiming studies and Gray with one of his 'heads' which left Jack to face this horror alone.

Mother said she was a good match, if not a surprising arrival and he was still trying to work out how she had arrived so quickly.

He had the elders going over the ancient scrolls as he seemed to remember something in there about the marriage rituals of old days.

Ianto would probably know what it was, he had read almost every damn scroll.

Ianto.

"Excuse me" Jack said, rising and fleeing as he searched for a quiet spot, his breathing tight as he fought the panic attack.

Ianto knew how to soothe these, Ianto …

Jack let his head fall against the wall of the small cubby behind the wall tapestry where he had hid as a child.

Only this time Ianto wasn't in here with him.

He wept.

.

.

.

.

Ianto slipped into the stables and returned his horse to its stall, placing Andy's next to it and Andy barely had time to cry a warning before Ianto was lifted into the air.

"Rhys!" Ianto cried out, his arm biting as he fell to his knees groaning with the pain.

"By the gods, you are injured!" Rhys spluttered, "I thought the wound might have healed by now."

"Infected" Ianto said through clenched teeth.

"I'll get the royal physician" Rhys said as he rose and Ianto barked a warning.

"I … won't get the royal physician?" Rhys asked with open confusion.

"He will tell Jack and … I don't know if I've worked this out yet." Ianto said sadly, "I'm unwell and vulnerable right now, not the best time for one of our spats."

"Then I'll fetch Aunty" Rhys sighed as he went to get the old woman who saw to the soldiers.

She clucked her tongue and muttered softly as she saw to the arm, making Ianto yodel as she squeezed and then applied the hot blade.

Then she settled him to sleep in the loft and turned to the two men watching.

"He will heal, it is not as bad as it seems" she informed them, "Sleep and good food."

"Thank you Aunty" Rhys said and then he elbowed Andy and rolled his eyes.

"Ah, yeah. Thank you Aunty" Andy parroted and she nodded as she waddled back out.

"So. I have been poking one of the maids and have learnt that this Lady Gwen is a real party animal" he whispered, "Gods, but she is built."

As he spoke his hands made boob motions and Andy snorted.

"Look first step is to get rid of her." Andy said as he warmed to the bear of a man, "Seems a lot of this started when she arrived. If we get her out of the picture we can see more clearly."

"So if it's not her we have at least cleared the fog" Rhys said then frowned as he looked at Andy, "But how the hell do we get rid of the woman, she's got her claws in."

"Thanks for the reminder" Andy grinned, digging in his saddle bags until he found the cat claw that was now threaded through a thin lace of leather. He placed it around the slumbering man's neck and leaned back as Rhys looked and whistled.

"That is a big claw!" he said softly.

"Was a huge cat, the size of the horse" he pointed at Ianto's horse and Rhys saw the scars on its neck.

"Ianto cut that off, the entire toe in fact" Andy said, "That's how he was injured."

"Cool" Rhys said softly.

They watched Ianto sleep and considered their options.

They thought there might be one way to move the big breasted woman on, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

Rhys decided he might take one for the team.

Hard job, but someone had to do it.


	8. Chapter 8

8

Ianto was sitting up eating as Rhys shot into the loft and sat giggling to himself as Andy took a grape from Ianto's plate of fruit.

"What are you up to" Ianto frowned as his old friend tried for an innocent look that made him look constipated instead.

It had been nearly a week and they had been up to something.

Ianto was sure of it.

"Rhys!" Ianto scolded and Andy snorted, alluding to the fact that he knew the secret.

"Come on, tell me before you both start a snorting contest then" Ianto sighed as he pushed the platter away and signaled that he was full.

"I just gave the Lady Gwen a token" Rhys admitted, "I told her she was pretty and I handed her a small carved cat. She acted all excited about it, gushing it was her first token, EVER!"

"So … Jack hasn't even gifted her anything?" Andy asked with shock.

"Wait. I've missed something here, haven't I?" Ianto frowned, "Why did you give her a token?"

"To learn something and we did!" Andy slapped at Ianto's chest absently as he leaned closer to Rhys, "So Jack does not act like a betrothed then?"

"No, Caroline said she had gifted him a book and he left it on the seat as he left, she was so angry that she biffed it into the fire!" Rhys gushed.

"Who is Caroline?" Ianto asked with open confusion.

"One of the ladies in waiting, do keep up!" Andy scolded, slapping at him again and shuffling so close that his hand was able to fall on Rhys' knee, "And?"

"And …." Rhys grinned, "I have supper with her tonight to 'discuss' wedding shit."

"You horn dog!" Andy giggled.

"I just need to get 'found' so the Crown Prince can call off the wedding and she is forced to retreat" Rhys crowed and Ianto finally had the gist as he gaped at his friends.

"No!" Ianto gasped, "You can't set her up like that."

"Too late" Rhys crowed and the two men giggled together as Ianto sighed softly.

The longer he was bedridden and hidden from sight, the worse these two seem to get.

.

.

.

.

"My lord" a solder said as he handed a note to the Crown Prince then escaped as quickly as he could, hoping the helmet had covered enough of his blonde hair and he kissed the young guard waiting in the bed for his uniform back.

The note from the prince to Lady Gwen requesting a meeting in her chambers had been delivered first, earlier in the day then the second one cancelling to be delivered by a prettied up Rhys afterwards.

Andy then watched as Jack strode from the throne room, followed by several advisors as he stormed to Lady Gwen's chambers with the intention of demanding the reason for the strange note about wedding colours when they had not formally announced yet.

What he expected was her ladies in waiting surrounding her as they sat having an evening supper.

What he found was ….well …

He hadn't known Rhys could be so energetic for such a usually slow moving man and the decadent noises he was eliciting from the wench were quite heady.

He motioned the guard to get their attention as he sniggered, wondering which Lady in Waiting it was and when a cascade of black ringlets appeared, followed by large breasts that were topped with a gap toothed wail he was completely unprepared.

Rhys stumbled from the bed and burped, then staggered a bit and fell on his side to lie groaning.

"Rhys?" Jack asked softly, the shock overruled by loyalty to his friend.

"Fuck, I don't feel right!" Rhys moaned, clutching his stomach, "Som'at in that wine she had there. Said it was fer you but cha didn't come so I sat down instead. Gods, but she warned me not to drink from it."

The Royal Physician confirmed that Rhys was, indeed poisoned and the goblet held some residue.

"But he will recover?" Jack couldn't take another loss, not now.

"As dunk, aye liege. Drunk and well endowed, it seems the drug produced … ah … natural urges" He was assured, "Tomorrow he will have a head on him to be sure."

Her Majesty the Queen had entered and was slapping the girl about the head as she bellowed of her son's embarrassment in such an unworthy suitor.

Jack paused and frowned, "Mama, why is she called the suitor?"

"Because she pursues you!" she growled, still shaking as Gwen wept and hurriedly gathered her things.

"But is not the man considered the suitor?" Jack suddenly knew what he had read, what he was searching for in the old scrolls and he swung to the advisors who were engrossed with Gwen's tits as they bounced around.

"She is called the suitor as I am the catch, correct?" Jack demanded, "It makes no matter if she is male or female. The one who wears the crown is to be wooed, er … you know … to be betrothed!"

"Ah, yes my Liege" they simpered, "It matters not if your suitor is male or female, only that you accept the advances of your … er … preferred intended."

"So … I could wed another man!" Jack said with glee.

"Jaxton?" Queen River said with shock as her son rubbed his hands.

"So, I find Ianto, I … er … get him to forgive me then to …ah … what do you call it…"

"Courting" Rhys supplied groggily from the bed, "You have him court and … ah .. woo … ah .. gonna hurl now."

Jack clapped his hands together, "That's it! If Ianto announced his intent to wed me, I can agree and we can be partnered, right?"

The elders looked around and talked softly, muttering and showing discomfort before answering, "Yes."

"But what of the lineage, offspring?" the Queen demanded, already seeing a losing battle.

"Gray! Or … or my sister, Rose!" Jack said stubbornly, "their children can rule next if Ianto and I do not produce!"

"Well, it has not happened within our bloodline for almost three hundred years!" The Queen sighed and threw her hands in the air as Rhys grinned happily from the bed.

It had all been too easy.

If Ianto had been there he might have pointed that out, saved them the heartache about to come next.

But he wasn't.

He slept unaware of the unfolding dramas.

Or the impending danger.


	9. Chapter 9

9

Lady Gwen had left with soft cries of fowl and none had wanted to give her the time of day.

Her clothing had been dropped as she ran for the carriage and several guards had whooped and hollered until Jack had roared at them to be polite and show respect to a member of a neighboring royal family.

Gwen still declared her innocence and Jack had worked out Rhys' rouse but also knew which side his bread was buttered as he showed a lofty distain for the insult.

Ianto watched from the window of the loft and Jack turned to go inside, glancing up and seeing a shadow moving away, thinking it was Rhys he moved on.

Ianto stood with his back against the wall of the loft, breathing deeply.

That had been too close.

He had been unable to stop himself from a second peek as he watched Jack's back disappear under the shadow of the doorway.

That evening when the two men joined him for tea they were surprised to find him out of the bed and dressed in the soft clothing of an assassin, unshaven and solemn.

They had hoped for a celebration and found their friend brooding still, but then it was to be expected I suppose.

This was not a good day for anyone.

.

.

.

Jack sat at the dining table staring morosely at the plate of food he didn't want, his gaze falling on the empty chair that once contained the only thing he ever had wanted.

His mind was in turmoil, nothing made sense and it was all crammed in so tight he couldn't examine any singular thought process for the lack of room.

He rose from the table, pushing the plate away and heading for the balcony where he and Ianto had spent many happy times watching the sunset and discussing shit.

As Jack settled in his chair, the thoughts started to unravel into the empty sky and he visualized each one using a technique Ianto had learnt form his own master and had then shown Jack.

By assigning each star a thought, he was able to create space and then each star could show him his thought.

Now he had space to think.

He considered the things that were eating at him, the things he knew Ianto would count on his fingers as he canted his head and challenged him to use that brain of his.

First. His father's death had been sudden.

Then there was Lady Gwen who had already been on her way, invited to stay apparently.

Someone was conspiring to separate Ianto from his side, not only succeeding but with devastating precision.

The wine had been drugged and apparently neither Gwen nor Rhys had known as she has also drunk some. She had declared her innocence and although Rhys was stirring thing Jack knew the poison had been a surprise.

The only common thing in these thoughts was the dark shadow of someone unknown conspiring.

It wasn't Lady Gwen, Rhys or Ianto.

There was still a threat.

Despite Rhys taking one for the team in relieving the prince of an unwanted suitor, the fact remained.

There was another person in this equation.

One here before her, and still here now.

Jack rose and decided the only thing to do would be to demand a sweep of the entire Palace to see if there was a new face.

.

.

.

.

In the loft Ianto was also staring at the stars and making the same decision as his Cariad.

Someone was playing games and they had been here all along.

He started to show his craft by doing what Jack could not as he assigned each star a singular name, mentally counting and accounting for each and every soul in the Palace beside him.

In so doing he was able to look at the strange constellations each friendship, work assignment and floor designation showed, noting any anomalies and finally seeing a thread.

A connection.

Someone who moved through all those areas where tweaks had been made.

One person who could not only poison the wine Rhys sipped, but the mead the good king had supped before mounting his horse for the hunt.

Ianto's blood had run cold as the thought of an assassin on the loose became all too apparent.

He was not fully healed, not yet but his arm was not the least of his worries as he focused on the dark void between the stars.

He knew who it was.

But did Jack?


	10. Chapter 10

10

Ianto stood amongst the other well wishers as Jack stood and accepted the robe he was now to wear for the next week.

It was the final stage in the journey to his father's crown and Jack swallowed nervously as his hand felt empty, too empty without Ianto's to warm it.

The royal colours shone as Jack turned to show the shiny fabric amid cheers and Ianto felt his stomach drop as his target moved into position to deliver his own blow.

Her Majesty smiled serenely as Princess Rose stepped forward into the spot his betrothed would usually stand, showing he was not currently in courting.

The whispers went unheard by the assassin moving in.

Jack knew this time next week a crown would be descending, the weight of it much more than gold and jewels and he swallowed nervously.

The assassin was close enough to pounce but timing was everything.

The art of an assassin was the art of deception, to go unseen in plain sight and the best way to do that was with a disguise that was so believable that they could not be thought of as anything else.

To act unassuming, incapable of the intellect or viciousness to be exactly what they are.

This assassin had played his game well, used his tricks and as the blade slid between the ribs the mark could only squeak with shock, turning slowly to stare into the twin voids of Death's Henchman.

The assassin stepped back, disappearing back into the throng of bodies as people started to see a problem, the mark now to his knees as he struggled to breathe, the lungs filling with blood denying his continued existence.

It was a cruel way to die, the assassin could have been cleaner, more …. Humane?

But this was supposed to be exactly what it was.

Punishment.

As the Queen started to scream with horror, pulling her daughter to her as the blood slowly started to flow from his mouth. His choking and gargling as he drowned in his own blood drowned out by the yelling as the guards started to shut down the palace.

This was nothing to the assassin though.

He easily slid to the balcony and shimmied down to the ground below like it was only a floor away, not eight.

By the time the balcony was searched there was no sign of him ever having been there.

.

.

.

.

Rhys and Andy were hissing at each other in hushed tones, watching Ianto as he paced the loft with an air of calm.

"It was so fast" Andy was saying, "like … one minute he was standing there, then he was gone. On the ground opening and shutting his mouth like a fish when you drag it out of the water with your line."

Ianto stopped pacing and canted his head, then started pacing again.

The Queen is beside herself" Andy whispered, "She has ordered a complete sweep of the place."

Both men looked at Ianto who again paused and turned to face them.

"Do you think they will find me?"

"No" both men said confidently, knowing he would simply disappear like smoke and fog.

Like he had eluded them during the previous searches.

"All I know is that I have the freaks!" Rhys shuddered, "This was so horrible. Just as well you weren't there, they might have …"

Rhys' voice petered out as he watched another pause and head swivel, then he huffed.

"It was you! By the great mountain, you killed the Queen's Hand!" Rhys said with shock.

"No." Ianto replied, "I killed the assassin."

"The … what?"

"The Queen's Hand was an assassin, no doubt this is now being discovered as they look at his room." Ianto explained, "The blade he was about to plunge into Jack is no doubt discovered as well, I hope whoever finds it handles it carefully."

Ianto swung to do another circuit of his pacing area, chewing over the events and wondering if things were finally over or was there more work ahead for the Fool.

.

.

.

.

Jack stood looking at the dead guard, laying by the corpse of the Queen's Hand and carefully removed the knife from the guard's hand with a handkerchief so his bare skin did not touch it as Ianto had taught him.

"An assassin's blade" Jack said as he looked at his grieving mother, "This man was an assassin."

"Don't' talk nonsense!" she huffed angrily, "This fat oaf could not more …"

As the robes were flicked open they all saw another coat, this one heavily padded and it was opened to reveal a lithe and fit body.

"To get the blade deep enough to kill, he must have been skilled indeed, he went through the armpit of the costume so the padding could not save this one." The Graveman said as he motioned with his hand, "Such an angle must have been near impossible to achieve."

Jack looked long and hard at the one who had caused all this grief and he looked at his mother as it occurred to him that there was only one person who could have done this, his eyes widening with surprise.

"Ianto" he gasped.


	11. Chapter 11

11

Jack knew it was Ianto's handiwork and he was now enraged as he strode into the Hand's Quarters.

"What have you found!" he snapped and the royal guards jumped at the uncommon anger as they rushed to show him their finds.

An assassin's kit, superior to the worn kit Ianto had inherited from another student and the scrolls confirmed the assassin's plans to take Jack out and undermine the family.

They found samples of Jack's handwriting as well as a detailed list of people how needed to be removed from the royal court.

Ianto's name had been circled and then crossed out so vehemently that the quill had scored the parchment.

Jack felt ill.

He left them to their continued destruction, going to their balcony to consider the reasons for Ianto's continued absence.

He was here.

Somewhere.

There was only one conclusion he could reach for the cold side of his bed.

It wasn't over yet.

.

.

.

.

The guards were milling as they waited for Her Majesty and the horses were standing with bored expressions as they champed at their bits.

Finally the royal family emerged, laughing as they headed to their mounts and Princess Rose was helped up as Queen River showed her grace and natural horse sense as she swung herself onto her own horse with ease.

Jack finally emerged, scowling as he walked towards them, "Why is Gray not coming?"

"Your brother has one of his heads and is staying indoors" the Queen said calmly, "He is abed for the afternoon."

Jack grumbled as he settled in his saddle, wondering what the name of Gray's current 'head' might be and he hoped she gave him a bloody rash on his bits that he shouldn't be dipping.

They headed out into the village that surrounded the keep for the pre-coronation ride, the short ride amongst the common folk the most degrading thing Jack could think of as he would rather just go on foot, as he usually did, stopping to talk with stall holders and watch children run past.

This was so pretentious.

They were rounding the corner for another round of flags and cheering when a guard's mount suddenly surged forward and Jack barely had time to register the danger when the horse and rider were falling, the guard's bark of pain turning to a roar as a sword swung.

Jack remembered what Ianto had taught him, had rammed home over and over again.

He swung his horse so its flanks were exposed, not him and forced his mother and sister to turn as well, urging them back into the rear guards.

He looked back to see the guard's horse was now on its feet and rearing back with hooves flying at whoever had attacked.

It was like slow motion as the horse's mane fell back and the large scars were exposed, the vicious scores down the horse's neck were not what held his gaze for a millisecond longer than it should have.

It was the brand, the remains of a brand barely discernable on a strip of unmarred skin.

Jack was off his horse and running as he screamed with fear, his own sword now cutting the air as he entered the fray and he knew he was going to be in trouble for it, but he could not let Ianto fight alone.

The guards followed their Crown Prince, cutting down the band of men and finally they stood triumphantly surrounding their future soon-to-be king as he grabbed the guard who was covered in blood, pulling him into his arms as he checked for injury.

"Stop it" Ianto finally huffed, stepping out of his embrace to look at the bodies at their feet.

"My Lord!" a guard handed over a piece of parchment from the folds of a slain man's robes and Ianto snatched it before Jack could reach it, snarling with anger.

"What!" Jack demanded.

"Where are your riding gloves!" Ianto barked, "By the Great Mountain, what had I told you about bloody gloves!"

Jack looked at him with open shock, quickly turning to anger as he advanced to shake him a bit.

The guard falling between them put paid to that as Ianto sighed and shook his head, muttering as a handkerchief appeared to wrap the poisoned paper in.

"Gloves. Every time I tell you, gloves!" Ianto was ranting, "But do you listen to your Fool? No, of course not, why listen to a stupid Fool who knows nothing when you are king of the fucking worlds!"

"Stop calling yourself that" Jack sighed, "You are not a fool."

"Am I not?" Ianto's raised eyebrow seemed an exclamation point.

"Ianto!" Rose was flying towards them and Ianto turned to catch the young princess easily, swinging her into the air like she was a child, not the twenty three year old woman she had grown into.

Jack snatched the parchment back, careful to keep the fabric between his skin and the paper as her arms were thrown around Ianto and he lowered her back to her feet as she was scolding him for hiding like that.

"I had a job to do" he said softly, smelling the sweet sunshine in her hair.

"Well, it's done now!" she harrumphed.

"No my little rosebud" he sighed, looking over her head at Jack, "It's not over yet."

"No" Jack said sadly as he looked at his beloved.

The hardest part was now to come.

The handwriting on that note detailing the time and place to attack the party was clearly visible and easily recognizable.

He would have preferred Gray did have a woman in his sheets as the true reason for his absence, rather that than the dagger aimed at Jacks' heart.


	12. Chapter 12

12

Gray was surprised to see the party back and he swung with a squeak as he was discovered in the dressing chambers.

He was in the middle of a costume fitting for the coronation and Jack wasn't the only one to note that it was the Robes of Crowning, identical to Jack's that Gray was wearing as he turned with shock to watch his brother enter.

Then came his Fool and Gray's eyes narrowed.

So he was back then.

Gray stepped off the dressing stool and smiled condescendingly as he looked at the Fool standing there in uncommonly dark clothing.

"I do not believe I have ever seen you wear common clothes" he sneered, realizing he was doing so and clearing his throat before stepping closer to the fool, "Usually you are so colorful on my brother's arm like a cute pet."

"Gray" Jack said in warning as Ianto stepped closer, his head canting and Gray then noticed movement, looking behind the Fool to see his mother's pale face.

"Tell me what surprises you more my child" her tone was low and full of warning, "That Ianto has returned? Or that we have!"

Gray blinked and looked at his brother's stony face, then laughed.

"I do not know what you mean by that Mother" he bluffed, turning back to the mirror.

"Why do you wear my colours?" Jack asked softly, knowing the answer but needed his mother to hear it as well.

"They are so handsome on you, why not on me as well. After all, did Father not say we were interchangeable?" Gray flounced.

Jack closed his eyes as he was reminded of his father's throw away comment when they were children, warning them during a childhood spat that either might rule one day.

"Father never meant to divide us" Jack said sadly, "You know he was horrified the first time you declared your intent to dethrone me."

"I was eight years old, you were ten and I was already larger than you!" Gray huffed.

"But then things changed" Jack said as he looked over at his beloved.

"Yeah."

Gray turned to leave the discussion and Jack reached out to hook his arm, wanting an explanation.

Ianto moved swiftly, placing himself between them as the blade slid home with his body surprising Gray who stepped back with open surprise.

"Do not walk away from this young man!" the Queen demanded and she strode forward striking her son with anger.

"Cariad" Ianto whispered, the word used only in the bedchambers alerting Jack to Ianto's confusion and he turned to see him start to fold.

"NO!" Jack screamed as the hilt was visible in the folds of the black robes, Ianto grunting with pain in his arms.

"By the Great Mountain, what have you done" Queen River gasped as she watched the young man writhe in Jack's arms.

Jack started to scream as Ianto slapped his hand away from the blade and grunted "Gloves."

Guards spilled into the room as Jack sobbed, rocking Ianto as he shakily used his own shirt sleeve to remove the poisoned blade.

Gray stood watching Jack's face as he screamed and roared for the healers, gathering his beloved into his arms and stumbling as he tried to rise.

"Jaxon?" Gray asked with confusion, the reaction to a felled fool unexpected.

"You tried to have us killed, you have just probably killed your brother's preferred intended and yet you look surprised at the turn of events you, yourself orchestrated?" the Queen demanded.

"What?" Gray asked with confusion, "What are you talking about? It is the Fool that has been trying to kill us!"

"Oh Gray" she slumped, "You are the Fool. We were attacked just now and Ianto saved us. Your brother, me, your little sister whom I thought you loved. We almost perished. We come back with a note from the body of a dead attacker from you and now you have … what … killed Ianto?"

"No. No!" Gray was now showing alarm as he looked in the direction Jack had gone, "No, he … he is just a fancy, just … he is the one that came between us."

"Came between you?" the Queen frowned, "Gray, you are the one who set Rhys on Jack that day. If it were not for your angry quest Ianto would have never been injured and they may have never met."

Gray wrung his hands as he stared at his mother.

"Who had filled your head with these thoughts" she asked softly, "Gray, if you wish for any leniency from your brother, please my love. Who is the one behind this, who whispers in your ear?"

Gray wept as he looked at the doorway again, then at his mother.

"Oh Mama" he sobbed, "What have I done?"


	13. Chapter 13

13

Jack was aware of someone in the room but his gaze dare not leave his beloved's pale face lest he wake and need him.

"Jack?"

"Go away" came a flat response.

"I did not know" Gray whined, "I was misled."

"Go away"

Gray turned to his mother who stood in the doorway and she motioned him away.

The days following the attack had been fraught with tears and horror as Gray finally admitted to the conspirator, it hurt to learn that it was her Head Lady whom the Queen had trusted more than her Hand.

The girl was the Hand's daughter, promised to Gray if they could only pave the way to the throne.

Gray was foolish, childish and easily led, quick to believe that it was Ianto behind the attacks and deaths.

Now the Queen held her youngest son and comforted him as her own heart broke.

She has lost her love, the King.

She has lost her treasured hand, who was as an Uncle to her and her closest confidant. And her Lady, who was as a sister.

How could she not feel this was partly her fault?

Now Ianto lay there in the brink of death, Jack believing that only his firm grip on his hand was keeping him on this side of the veil.

Her foolish youngest son may yet cost her the joy of placing the crown on the head of the older son.

If Ianto faded away, if he faltered she felt in her heart of hearts that Jack would follow him beyond the veil of the Mountains mists.

Only his assassin training had saved him, the small amounts of poison he handled regularly building up a natural resistance to the deadly concoction on the blade.

Gray had tried everything to atone, showering the room with late blooms so Ianto might smell their sweetness.

His own beloved blanket that their grandmother had gifted him shortly before her death lay across Ianto's feet.

Still, Jack would not look at him.

The blade seemed to have a will of its own, moving from his sleeve to his hand as Ianto had startled him.

Now Gray knew what it was to be the Fool.

And my, were the colours of his shame harsh.

.

.

.

.

Jack settled on the bed for the evening, softly telling Ianto of a song the birds had sung, sounding sadder than usual as if they felt his breaking heart.

Ianto was so still, so pale and cold to the touch.

If not for the occasional rise and fall of his chest, he might be considered dead already.

"Are you cold my beloved?" Jack whispered, rubbing a limp hand as he lay on his side, examining the soft features.

"You need a shave" Jack whispered, "You hate fuzz."

"It's my crowning in two days, how the hell do I stand there and let my father's crown fall on my head?" Jack asked with desperation, "How can I stand without you?"

"Oh my love" Jack sighed, rolling onto his back to stare at the ornate ceiling of his chambers, "Come back to me. I feel myself dying without you."

A squeeze.

Gentle, hesitant and fleeting but there.

Jack daren't breathe as he squeezed back and hoped against hope.

Squeeze.

Jack rolled Ianto into his arms and wept.

There was nothing else to do.

His beloved had come home.

Jack was now ready to take the crown.


	14. Chapter 14

14

 **WARNING – SMUT CHAP**

Jack was giving Ianto a sponge bath as Ianto hummed happily at having a clean shaven face again.

Jack got to Ianto's crotch and slid the face cloth covered hand down between his legs and Ianto grunted as Jack touched him in a place he never had, their love being chaste until marriage, despite the rumors of the Fool being Jack's sex toy.

"What are you dong" Ianto whispered with wide eyes.

"Staking a claim" Jack muttered, "Hoping it will stir your resolve to stake yours!"

He pushed harder and stopped at something. "You agree that's important… don't you?"

Ianto nodded his head and grunted in agreement.

"Very good." Jack continued to push his finger against something inside Ianto's tight arse. Ianto wasn't trying to keep him out, but he wasn't exactly letting him in either. All he knew was the pressure inside built.

"Try to force me out, handsome." Jack demanded and it took a few seconds before Ianto understood what he meant. He pushed out with his arse muscles and then opened his mouth wide as Jack's slick lube covered finger slid deeper into Ianto's hole.

Ianto rocked his head back and forth in a noiseless scream as Jack continued to push his thick finger deep into Ianto's arse and his knuckles pushed his cheeks apart until he stopped.

Ianto clenched around his finger and he let out a satisfied grunt. "You have excellent muscles and so _strong_."

"Thank you?" Ianto said automatically and Jack huffed as he pulled back until just the tip of his finger was in Ianto. Ianto wasn't intending to but his muscles clenched around him just the same. Ianto wasn't sure if it was an automatic reaction or just deep down he wanted to keep his finger inside him.

Ianto's cock throbbed out as he pushed in again.

He pulled back and then pushed again.

"Smooth and constant – never stopping." He mumbled as he went back and forth . Ianto closed his eyes and Jack continued for another minute as he stretched him back and forth.

"Excellent. A most cooperative lover." His hand went around Ianto's cock and he squeezed tight. It already throbbed but increased its speed. His hot hand pressed around the shaft and Ianto let out a long breath.

He leaned in until he was just inches away from Ianto's slick penis. "Excellent. You already have a bead of pre-cum. I'm not surprised. A virile young man such as yourself. Gods, I've waited so long to do this."

He sucked in a lungful of air and blew out over Ianto's dick.

Ianto gasped, inhaling deep.

Jack's lips went around the swollen end of Ianto's cock and he jerked hard.

Ianto tried to say something but all he could manage was let out a low drawn out guttural moan. Jack's tongue went around the end of Ianto's cock in a slow lazy circle. His tongue went back and forth through the salty slit.

Ianto tightened his grip on the bed head, not sure what this was, but he wanted to just hold Jack's head and rock back and forth. Instead he endured the painful pleasure of his sucks.

Inch by slow wet inch, he went until the end of Ianto's dick ran against the back of his throat.

He swallowed around Ianto, who let out a long moan if not a scream.

He mumbled something but Ianto couldn't hear through his dick. Still the vibrations from his speech ran against his member and he jerked again.

The cock slipped out of his mouth and he held it between his finger and his thumb. Back and forth he went kneading the cock while Ianto continued to grip the rails with white knuckles.

"Are you trying to kill me too?" Ianto asked shakily and Jack answered by blowing a long low hot breath over the slickened end of his dick.

Ianto's entire body tensed as he breathed in his aroma just as Jack did to his cock.

He flattened his tongue and ran it over the end. "Tell me Ianto, do you want me to stop?"

Ianto let out a breathy whisper and nodded quickly. "No."

He let out an acknowledging murmur. "And what do you want then?"

"You."

"Thought so." His tongue went around the end of the cock in a long lazy circle.

Ianto started to say something, but he sucked the end of his dick back into his mouth. Ianto could barely see but Jack as sucked in his cheeks Ianto opened his mouth wide as he cried out.

Back and forth he went with his lips around that dick tightly as the room filled with an almost obscene slurping sound.

Ianto's leg muscles bulged out as they strained against the weight of the Crown Prince and inch by slow inch he took the entire cock until he hit the back of his throat.

He didn't cough.

His tempo sped up until Ianto couldn't count the pauses between his head bobs.

Spit and pre-cum dripped off his chin and onto Ianto's legs and balls.

Ianto was grunting and gasping as he writhed and Jack showed no mercy.

Ianto's balls tightened, and he felt the upcoming sneeze of orgasm. His dick swelled out and he tried to grab his head but then slapped his hands back around the rails as he remembered Jack's hatred of being touched about the head.

All he could do was cry our as his ass lifted off the bed. "Oh God… I'm coming."

For the first time in his life, he came into another man's mouth.

Ianto convulsed hard everywhere as he felt the warm wet sucks of Jack's administrations as his spunk hit the back of this throat.

Painfully pleasurable electricity raced along Ianto's body as he just endured the sheer bliss of an expert blow-job.

He expected him to spit his seed, but he swallowed every single drop of warm wet spunk.

Jack sunk his fingers into Ianto's tight muscles while he shot several times into his mouth.

He kept sucking that dick in until the last of his beloved's aftershocks subsided.

Even then he gave one long lingering suck to take every last bit of cum. When he finished, he ran his fingers over his lips then mimed a sucking motion.

He leaned over and Ianto breathed in his scent. It wasn't a bad smell – he just smelled like sex. Even though Ianto just came in his mouth, his cock throbbed out again.

 _Guess that means something._

His thick hand ran along Ianto's forehead and he wiped off the beads of sweat.

He ran his tongue over his finger before he leaned forward.

Ianto's eyes widened as Jack's lips pressed against his.

Ianto started to say something, and he took it as permission to slip inside his mouth.

His tongue probing and stroking as they lat entwined.

"Soon" Jack whispered as he stroked Ianto's sides, "When we are wed I will show you stars you didn't know were there."

"Oh Cariad" Ianto sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

Jack felt a great peace come over him as he finally felt that his beloved was safe, healing and most importantly ….

His.


	15. Chapter 15

15

Jack stood in his finery looking out over the crowd and cleared his throat, stepping forward to the edge of the stage in order to address them.

"I am happy to welcome you all here today to this ceremony." He said calmly, "Today I take in the mantle of King."

Roars and cheers filled the palace grounds and Jack waited graciously.

As it eased off, he continued, "As you know, these past few months have been fraught with sorrow and regret. My father's death weighs heavily on us and I hope he looks over this event with the warmth of the sun as his joy."

He again paused and waited patiently for the applause to ease, "Those responsible for the attacks on my life have been found, punished and I am no longer in danger."

"Those who were puppets to this pantomime, bit players and fellow victims of the cruel game have been forgiven." Jack did not look at his brother as he said it, hoping it might one day be true and Gray took a deep breath as he clutched his mother's hand.

"It is with a heart still heavy with grief on my father's passing , that I stand here to promise my life to this throne" Jack looked up at a commotion by the doors of the keep and gaped as Ianto was led slowly by Andy and Rhys who flanked him.

Each man had an arm and they softly encouraged each faltering step as his beloved walked proudly to him, the single red rose in his hand a stark splash of colour.

Reaching Jack, he thrust the rose at him and looked up to meet his eye.

"I hereby declare my intent to court you" he said loudly, "I declare my love, loyalty and desire to pursue your heart."

Gasps went through the crown along with whispers like a Mexican wave as people craned their necks to see Jack's face.

Jack leapt from the stage and gathered his love into his arms, carrying him up the steps to place him gently on his throne, a kiss to his brow as he crooned and motioned for a blanket.

Jack then turned and addressed the crowd.

"I have an intended!" he cried with pride and the place erupted.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" he roared, his glee filling the air more than the scent of the jasmine and lavender grass, "I am betrothed!"

Jack stood by the throne and held Ianto's hand tightly as his mother stepped forward, her face streaked with tears and her husband's crown in her hands.

Jack knelt as his mother gently placed the crown on her son's head and she looked at Ianto as he stared back with pride.

Jack rose to thunderous applause.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, gentlefolk of the shire! Please kneel before your new king." A booming demand rang out that Jack recognized as Rhys.

Jack felt a hand slide into his and he clutched it tightly as Ianto shakily joined him, standing proudly as he looked adorningly at him.

It was time.

Jack took a deep breath.

"My first act as your king is to announce my Hand. My consort and my future husband!" Jack crowed, "All kneel by order of your king and pay respect to the King's Hand!"

Jack raised the joined hands as everyone fell to their knees with bowed heads.

Ianto swallowed and raised his chin, staring defiantly at the crowd.

"ALL HAIL" the guards roared, their swords raising as then saluted their king and his right-hand man.

For they knew who would lead them in battle as the shaking stopped and Ianto placed his spare hand over his heart and bowed in return.

A celebration echoed past the keep, over the village and too the mountain beyond.

The realm was once again at peace.


	16. Chapter 16

SPOILER …SPOILER … PART II

"Yes. Nasty, my lovely. I agree" Ianto muttered, dumping another robe into the basket. "I want these burnt, away from the keep and with you well back in case I missed anything combustible."

"Yes master" she said automatically.

"Good girl" he replied softly.

.

.

.

Violet wanted to help but didn't know how, seeing her master in pain was overwhelming for her and she crouched nervously in a corner.

Ianto finally broke, sobbing softly into his arms as they folded over his knees.

"Master" she whispered, scuttling closer as she reached for him.

.

.

.

"You understand what is happening?" he enquired.

"Yes master."

.

.

.

Finally, he was too tired to do any more and he sat on his haunches to look at the carnage with growing shame.

Someone was going to have to witness this, clean it up and he knew Violet would insist.

Damn it!

.

.

.

It's all kicking off with Assassin's Apprentice – Rider Verse Part II ….

This one is going to get nasty.


End file.
